From a photograph by Solomon D. Butcher of four daughters of rancher Joseph M. Chrisman, at their sod house in Custer County, Nebraska. From left to right, Harriet, Elizabeth, Lucie, and Ruth. Photographed in 1886.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Paramilitary, not Boy Scout

And What I Think About It...

I am not holding this poor girl's feet to the fire over what she said, but I wish she had used the word "paramilitary," not "Boy Scout". Perhaps the only uniform she's ever seen was a Boy Scout shirt and that's why it came to mind as she tried to describe the horrific ordeal she had been survived. I truly am not criticizing her.

I do think it is odd that the AP chose to use the direct quote, associating the killer's attire with a Boy Scout outfit.

Erin Sheehan, who was in the German class near Calhoun's room, told the student newspaper, the Collegiate Times, that she was one of only four of about two dozen people in the class to walk out of the room. The rest were dead or wounded, she said.

She said the gunman "was just a normal-looking kid, Asian, but he had on a Boy Scout-type outfit. He wore a tan button-up vest, and this black vest, maybe it was for ammo or something." (Source)

4 comments:

I don't know whether this unfortunate phrase made it to the paper because of an editor's carelessness, thoughtlessness, or malice, but I believe it was one of those three things.

There's quite a bit of prejudice against Boy Scouts in some circles because they don't accept gay Scout leaders and they insist that Scouts acknowledge a Higher Power. Plus they have that controversial, questionable Scout law, you know:

Boy Scouts are, of course, a deliberately, consciously para-military organisation. This is why they wear a military-derived uniform, require an oath of loyalty (to God and the State, at least here) and have a structure openly modelled on the infantry scouting units Baden-Powell served in as a British colonial officer.

It's always amazing to me that people might not be aware of this - but I suppose, being American, you live in a considerably more militarized society than myself, so maybe it doesn't stand out in quite so clear a relief.

IT IS STILL BEST to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasure; and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.(Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1867-1957)